Suspected pedophile fired by Wright-Patterson after working there for nine months

An Air Force base employee who reportedly discussed child rape fantasies and visiting child pornography sites in a previous federal job interview was terminated last month, after service officials learned of the interview in September.

The worker, whose name was not disclosed, was hired at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and employed from April 16 to Jan. 23, according to a base statement. An investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations is underway.

On Wednesday, ABC affiliate WCPO in Cincinnati reported that the man had discussed his fantasies with a federal agency in March.

The man stated that he was attracted to girls as young as 6 but preferred 10-year-olds, according to a Dec. 28 search warrant affidavit filed in federal court and posted on WCPO’s website. The man also disclosed that he had communicated online with minors, according to the affidavit.

It was not clear which agency the man interviewed with, and base officials in Ohio said they were not at liberty to disclose the agency.

The man had been under investigation by police in March as a result of the interview, but the police did not proceed with criminal action because he “no longer resided or was present in their jurisdiction,” according to the affidavit.

While working at Wright-Patterson, the employee lived in a privatized base housing area on base near a child development center, WCPO reported.

On Sept. 20, OSI received notification of the interview, according to a Wright-Patterson statement.

“During the entire time the criminal investigation was open, security measures were in-place to monitor the individual’s activities on the base property to ensure he did not have access to any child care centers, schools or sensitive installation information,” the statement said.

It’s not clear why it took five months for the unnamed federal agency to contact Wright-Patterson officials about the disclosed fantasies.

“The appropriate course of action was to review the received information and conduct a thorough and deliberate investigation while protecting the individual’s due process rights. Such a review was necessary to substantiate any response by the installation,” base officials said.

A federal magistrate from the Southern District of Ohio granted a search warrant in December.

The man was given notice of termination and subsequently resigned on Jan. 23 and was barred from all areas of the installation, base officials said.

The man has not been charged with a crime, pending the investigation.

“The safety of our employees and family members at Wright-Patterson AFB is our most important responsibility,” said Col. Tom Sherman, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander. “The moment our federal law enforcement teammates became aware of the situation, they took immediate and deliberate actions to investigate and ensure the safety of our family members was maintained.”